It is well-known that uterine cervical cancer can be prevented and/or even cured if it is detected early enough, preferably in its precancerous or precursor stages. Accordingly, women are being encouraged to come in for examinations on a regular basis. Improvements in early detection devices and techniques will also, quite obviously, enhance the physician's ability to accurately detect the presence of cancer in its early stages. Accordingly, much effort is being directed to developing such devices.
Drs. Christine Bergeron, M.D. and Alex Ferenczy, M.D. in their article entitled "Screeninq Devices for Cervical and Endometrial Ca" published in Contemporary OB-GYN (1987), set forth on pages 55-66 an extensive listing of cervical cytologic sampling and screening devices, including wooden spatulas and brushes, and also discuss how the devices should be used to effectively detect the presence of cancer and its precursors.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,464 to Levene also discloses a device for obtaining endocervical cell and tissue samples. The device comprises a generally frusto conical brush having a coaxial handle projecting from its larger end. The frusto conical brush consists of soft radially projecting bristles of cellulose acetate which are soluble in a liquid that does not cause morphological damage when the bristles and cell samples are immersed in the liquid. While useful in obtaining cell samples from the endocervical canal, the brush's frusto conical shape does not lend itself to collecting cells from the exocervix.
While the aforementioned devices undoubtedly work as intended, there is still a need for devices which are capable of collecting samples containing more cells, particularly from the exocervix area. The aforementioned wooden spatula does not generally collect enough cells from the exocervix to enable one to accurately determine whether any abnormal cells are present. The problem is even worse with women who have an abnormally or unusually shaped exocervix since the spatula's long rigid lobe may not even make contact with the exocervix. Accordingly, a need still exists for a device which is capable of collecting larger cell samples from the uterine exocervix. Such a device would be even more desirable if it also had the capability of collecting cell samples from the endocervical canal. Such a device would make better use of the physician's time and be more palatable to the patient since it would enable the samples to be taken quicker. Such a device would also be more accurate than presently available devices since it would make it possible to collect larger cell samples from the exocervix.